1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless communication devices and more specifically to a system and method for providing enhanced features in wireless communication systems.
2. Related Art
The advent of wireless personal communications devices has revolutionized the telecommunications industry. Cellular, PCS and other services provide wireless personal communications to businesses and individuals at home, in the office, on the road, and virtually anywhere the wireless network reaches. Wireless telephone subscribers no longer have to stop at pay telephones along the road, or wait until they return home or to the office to check messages and return important business calls. Instead, wireless subscribers carry out their day to day business from their cars, from the jobsite, while walking along the airport concourse, and just about anywhere their signals are accessible.
Thus, it is no surprise that since the introduction of the cellular telephone service, the number of wireless telephone subscribers has increased steadily. Today, the number of wireless telephone subscribers is staggering and still growing rapidly. In fact, many households have multiple wireless telephones in addition to their conventional land-line services.
With a market of this size, there is fierce competition among hardware manufacturers and service providers. In an attempt to lure customers, most providers offer handsets with desirable features or attributes such as small size, light weight, longer battery life, speed dial, and so forth. Many recent additions to the marketplace include multi-functional handsets that even provide pocket-organizer functions integrated into the wireless handset. Most manufacturers, however, are still scrambling to add new features to their communication devices to snare a portion of this booming market.
The present invention is directed toward a system and method for providing enhanced information to users of wireless communication devices. According one aspect of the invention, the information provided is in part based on position information obtained by the wireless communication device. According to one aspect of the invention, the wireless communication device includes a wireless device and a hands-free unit that can be operated in conjunction with one another to provide hands free operation of the wireless communication device.
A position determination system such as, for example, a GPS or other position determination device is included with the wireless communication device to enable the position of the device to be determined during operation. When a user requests information, the user""s position as determined by the position determination device, along with the request are sent to a server via the wireless communication device. In one application, the wireless communication device actually places a data call to a server via the wireless communication network and sends the information request, along with the current location information, to the server.
The server utilizes this location information to retrieve requested information based on the user""s current position. For example, the server may retrieve driving directions to a requested destination, information regarding facilities or services in the vicinity of the user, or other information that may be requested by the user. The information retrieved is returned to the user via the wireless network, again in the form of a data call. The information returned can be displayed or audibly provided to the user to fulfill the user""s request. The user""s request can be entered using voice commands, keystrokes or keypad input, or a combination thereof.
Where voice commands are utilized, speech recognition can be provided to convert the voice into data for transmission to the server. Alternatively, voice commands and voice responses can be provided as audio information (albeit in digital form for digital communication networks) and exchanged between the server and the wireless communication device. One feature and advantage of the invention is that where location information is useful or required to fulfill a request, the information can be automatically provided to the server fulfilling that request.
Additionally, in applications where the position determination device is provided with a hands-free unit 132, functionality can be provided as an add on to a user""s existing wireless handset or other wireless communication device. As such, the user does not need to replace his or her handset or phone, he or she simply needs to add a hands-free unit with the position determining device.